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Race
Race is a rule in Dungeons & Dragons referring to the fantasy species or ancestry of a character. Popular races include human, elf, dwarf and halfling. Unlike the modern real-world use of the word, "race" in Dungeons & Dragons does not refer to a character's ethnic background. In D&D terms, "human" is a single "race", and players are generally free to select their character's skin tone, hair color and other details of appearance as they see fit. Mechanics In Dungeons & Dragons, a player creating their character selects from one of many fantasy species known as "races". All editions of Dungeons & Dragons feature the human, elf, dwarf and halfling as options, and most include other options. Each race possesses unique traits and abilities, many of which are helpful in the context of dungeoneering and combat. In most editions of the game, each race has modifiers to their ability scores, while in earlier editions of D&D, characters must meet certain ability score minimums to qualify. Some races can be divided into multiple variants or subtypes, known as subraces. Purpose Genre emulation The inclusion of the dwarf, elf and halfling (originally called hobbit) is influenced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, particularly The Hobbit, which features all three of those races. Their appearance in the original 1974 edition of Dungeons & Dragons appealed to fans of Tolkien. As D&D shaped the field of fantasy fiction, fantasy races have come to be a staple of computer roleplaying games and other media. Character customization Selecting from a variety of character options is a key mechanic of Dungeons & Dragons and allows players to distinguish their character from others, increasing the longevity and complexity of the game. Notable races For a full list, see Category:Races. * Humans are typically the most numerous, versatile and culturally diverse. * Elves are graceful, patient, and have a connection to nature. * Dwarves are short, hardy and bearded. * Halflings are short, stealthy, and lucky. Publication history Original D&D The original did not use the term "race", but did introduce the dwarf, elf, and hobbit (later halfling), with the assumption that most characters would be human. Non-humans were restricted in their choice of character class and maximum character level, but gained unique special abilities, such as a dwarf's magic resistance or the elf's ability to detect hidden doors. Notably, races did not yet give numeric bonuses to ability scores. According to former TSR employee Tim Kask in 2018, players of original D&D rules chose their race based on the randomly generated stats.Dungeons & Dragons Compendium D&D 5th edition The launched with a record nine playable character races: dwarf, elf, halfling, human, dragonborn, gnome, half-elf, half-orc and tiefling. This includes all races which had ever appeared in the Player's Handbook of any edition, except for the eladrin, which appeared alongside the aasimar in the . Most races are also divided into two or more subraces, including the hill dwarf, mountain dwarf, high elf, wood elf, dark elf, lightfoot halfling, stout halfling, forest gnome, and rock gnome. The human, dragonborn, half-elf, half-orc and tiefling have no subraces in the Player's Handbook. Further, races are divided into common and uncommon, with only dwarf, elf, halfling and human (the four races appearing in the original edition of D&D) considered common. This is largely thematic and has no game mechanic. Additional races were introduced by later sourcebooks and Unearthed Arcana playtest articles. Creative origins The use of the term "race" to refer to a species of humanlike people appears occasionally in the works of Tolkien, although it seems most often to refer to a subgroup of creatures. The original inclusion of fantasy races in Dungeons & Dragons was inspired by the works of fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien, whose literary interpretations of traditional folklore creatures such as the dwarf, elf and hobbit were influential on D&D and other 20th century fantasy literature. These three races previously appeared in Chainmail (1971), a miniature wargame created by Gary Gygax and influenced by Leonard Patt's Rules for Middle Earth (1970). Reception and influence Race has become a standard element of character creation in computer roleplaying games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. The potential for confusion between the modern and fantasy usage of the term "race" has led some table roleplaying games to use alternate terminology. For example, Pathfinder 2 uses the alternative term "ancestry". References Category:Rules